Diners and Dreams
by BananaKingCharlie
Summary: Set immediately after "Judgement Day Part Two" Jethro retires and heads to LA to open up the diner that Decker left behind. Jethro soon realizes that the past is catching up with him. Definetly set in an alternate time and place!
1. No Regrets

**DISCLAIMER:** I own Nothing! It all belongs to CBS, Don Bellisario, and Paramount!

**Author's Note:** The following story takes place immediately after "Judgement Day Part II" Definetly set in some alternate place and time as some long deceased characters will re-appear as the story continues. Please enjoy!

"You're really going aren't you?" Abby Scuito said sadly as she cried copiously.

"Abby...I have to. It's my time." Jethro Gibbs whispered as he hugged Abby tightly.

"I know...all good things must come to an end." Abby said softly as she rested her head on Gibbs' shoulder.

"I just can't believe it." Abby said as she broke off the embrace first, knowing Jethro was eager to leave.

"Well, get used to it kid." Jethro teased and his face broke out into a small smile that was more like a smirk.

"You better get going if you want to get anything accomplished." Abby said stoically as she tried to keep her composure in check.

"Abby...I will miss you." Gibbs said as he stared at the forensic scientist, sharing an emotional moment with her.

"And we will miss you." Ziva David said as she quietly entered the now-empty basement.

"Ziva?" Gibbs said with a smile.

"Yes." Ziva smiled as she made her way down the stairs.

"I couldn't let you go without a proper party!" Abby said as she smiled as McGee, DiNozzo, Ducky, Jimmy Palmer and Nikki Jardine made their way down the basement stairs.

"Oh Abby!" Gibbs said as he blushed bright red.

Two hours later after they had all enjoyed pizza and exchanging stories about the good times at NCIS Jethro Gibbs locked the front door of his now empty house. He stared at the front door for a few seconds. The house was no longer his.

"Welcome home." Jethro Gibbs said as he tossed the keys to Ziva, who caught them mid-air.

"Thanks boss." DiNozzo and Ziva chorused in one voice.

"No, thank-you. That was a damn nice check." Jethro said as he headed towards his car.

"I know you own it now, but if anybody puts a single scratch in the hardwood floors I will find them and kill them myself!" Gibbs teased as he hugged his co-workers that seemed more like a family good-bye.

"Call when you settle for the night!" Ducky yelled as Jethro sped off.

Jethro only nodded to in response. He wasn't much for conversation, but he would call Ducky that was for certain. He owed it to them. After what had transpired in the past ten days the team had taken it pretty well. They were resilient and strong. They would bounce back from this. Jethro had known however that his time at NCIS was over when Leon Vance had tried to split up his team. They had just returned from Jenny's memorial service and the new Director had tried to separate the team that had become a family. Jethro knew there was more to the separation than Vance would let on, and his suspicions had been confirmed when Jethro had marched down to Human Resources and applied for retirement. The team was no longer going to be split up. Whatever plans Vance had were useless without Gibbs.

As Jethro drove out of Virginia his mind began to wander. He had been thinking non-stop for the past few weeks, and he had hoped the drive would provide some relaxation. Instead his mind went where it always did. To them. The women, all of the women he had once loved and now they haunted him. Not in a scary frightening sort of way, but all of them, all of the memories provided a supernatural comfort Jethro couldn't describe if he tried. Their images raced through his mind. His mother, Shannon, Kelly, Kate Todd, Paula Cassidy, A few brave women from his unit in Kuwait, but most of all Jenny Shepard. She was at the forefront of his thoughts, mostly because her death had been so recent. They had all died, and he had felt the same way with each of them, that somehow he could have prevented it, could have saved them, but now he knew better than that.

Jethro finally stopped at a motel in South Carolina for the night. As promised he called Ducky. That was how it went for three weeks, and Jethro was shocked that on a random journey to re-discover himself he fell into a comfortable routine of staying at the same chain of hotels, calling Ducky nightly, and ordering the same thing from room service for dinner.

For three weeks Jethro drove across the country. Stopping when he wanted, visiting the sights he wanted to see, living life as he always had, on his own terms. Jethro pulled into the parking lot of the small diner that sat just outside Los Angeles in the desert. It looked cleaner than Jethro had remembered and as he shut off the engine he saw the familiar figure of a man exit the diner.

Jethro got out of his car and approached the older man.

"Damnit...took you long enough...probie." Mike Franks said as he squinted in the bright sunlight.


	2. The Journey

**Disclaimer: Not mine! It all belongs to the same guy that thought of Magnum P.I. and JAG**

**Author's Note:** In Part Two of "Judgement Day" Jethro tells Mike Franks to "Go back to Baja and kiss my Goddaughter for me." I can only assume because it is never explained in the series that the Goddaughter Gibbs refers to is actually Mike Franks' granddaughter as seen in the episode: "Iceman, Season Four.**"**

"What the hell?" Jethro asked as he stepped into the diner. It was absolutely spotless. The inside had been completely renovated, complete with new booths, and tables.

"I do good work for an old man." Mike Franks growled as he coughed.

"Gibbs!" A little girl's voice yelled as she careened around the counter and grabbed Jethro's leg.

"Ameera!" Jethro said happily as he picked up the little girl.

"Hello Mr. Gibbs." A sweet voice belonging to a young woman said softly as she shuffled out from behind the counter.

"Saamiya!" Jethro said happily as the twenty-something Muslim woman headed toward him.

"I see you've accustomed yourself to the western ways." Jethro said as he smiled at Saamiya. Jethro looked at Saamiya. She was wearing nice blue jeans, a bright purple long-sleeved t-shirt, metallic silver flip flops, and her traditional head-covering.

"I have my moments." Saamiya explained as she smiled at Gibbs.

Jethro raised an eyebrow as Ameera squirmed in his arms.

"Moments?" Jethro asked.

"Sometimes I wear this, sometimes I wear the more traditional clothing that I grew up in. I am a creature of habit, what can I say? All I know is that I like to be comfortable. Some days comfortable is long pants, and sometimes comfort reminds me of home." Saamiya explained as she reached for Ameera.

Jethro thought about it and it made sense. Comfort was in the eye of the beholder.

"Ameera...do not bother him! Gibbs has had a long drive." Saamiya scolded gently as she took her daughter from Gibbs' arms.

"She's no bother at all!" Gibbs said smiling.

"I can't believe you talked me into this...Probie." Mike Franks growled.

"You wanted out of that shanty in Baja." Saamiya said as she made her way back behind the counter.

"She's right." Gibbs said as he looked at his old friend.

"So what happens now?" Mike Franks asked, hoping Jethro had done his fair share of the work.

"We're just waiting for our permit to serve food from the state. I think we'll be all set to open our doors by next week." Jethro explained.

"Great." Mike Franks said with a genuine smile as he patted Jethro's back.

"Let's head home." Saamiya said as she stood next to the two men.

"Sounds good to me." Jethro said as he followed the group to the parking lot.

That night Jethro laughed as he lay down on a twin bed. He hadn't slept in a twin bed since boot camp, and he couldn't wait to find his own place. He had passed a few townhouse developments that looked pretty nice. Until he had permanent housing Jethro was resigned to stay in one of the spare bedrooms at Mike's house. Even in the cramped quarters Jethro fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in years, waiting to live life one day at a time and let a journey that had yet to be written unfurl in front of him like an epic novel.


	3. Open For Business

*****ONE MONTH LATER*****

"I can't believe this." Mike Franks said in awe as he locked the doors to the diner.

"Relax Mike, it was only our first day." Jethro said as he appeared from the kitchen.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Saamirya said as she clapped her hands in delight, her brown eyes shining.

"Don't be too hopeful. It is only day one." Jethro reminded everyone.

He had dated a chef once, she had been sweet and nice, not to mention an excellent cook. However, Jethro knew the ups and downs of the restaurant business. Everything was hot and trendy when it opened, but the glitter and glamour would fade soon enough. Jethro knew that after the buzz wore off they'd be happy to have enough business to stay open.

"Don't be so pessimistic." Saamirya said quickly.

"We had a forty minute wait today at lunch, and an hour wait at dinner time. People were driving in from the Valley to eat here...that is good." Saamirya added.

"It is good." Mike Franks said as he picked up his sleeping granddaughter from a diner booth.

"She must be exhausted." Jethro said as Ameera stirred slightly in her grandfather's arms.

"I think we all are." Jethro said as he stretched his arms and yawned.

"Let's go home." Saamirya said as she dug through her purse for car keys.

"I had no clue you could cook...you've held out on me for way too long Probie." Mike Franks growled as they drove towards the townhouse development.

"I had no clue how loud you snored man." Jethro teased right back.

Jethro was thankful that he had found an open townhouse in the same development as his business partner and friend. For three weeks had endured sharing a tiny townhouse with Mike, Saamirya and Ameera. Mike's snoring had resonated through the paper thin walls and had almost driven Jethro to insanity.

Saamirya dropped Jethro off in front of his own townhouse and he made his way inside, grateful to fall into bed in a peaceful house.

*****TWO WEEKS LATER*****

"_Decker's Diner has all the old fashioned charm one would expect of such a place, not to mention a good dose of hard work. Co-owner Jethro Gibbs does all the cooking for the diner, while his business partner Mike Franks puts his business sense to work for him_." It was Sunday morning, the only day the diner wasn't open and Jethro was reading a column that had been written about Decker's Diner in the local newspaper's food and style section. He smiled, knowing that the article would keep business steady, although that didn't seem to be a problem so far.

Jethro sipped his coffee and continued reading. _"With homemade delights such as the Shepard's pie, the McNerd, and Kelly cake, who could resist a place like Decker's?. The hour-plus drive out of the city is well worth the wait." _

Jethro smiled again. He knew it had been a great idea when Saamirya had suggested it. Naming the menu items after people they knew. She had been to New York City and visited a deli that had named all their sandwiches after celebrities and Saamirya had decided to pass the idea along, although the menu at Decker's was named after regular people.

So far Jethro's favorite contribution to the menu had been a dessert he had created years ago, called a "Kelly Cake." One thin pancake with bananas, chocolate chips, and thick layer of whipped cream. It had been Kelly's favorite, and now it was one of their most popular desserts.

Jethro enjoyed his day off, soaking up the California sunshine, and relaxing. He went to bed slightly earlier than normal knowing that the next day would be long.

*****THE NEXT MORNING*****

"Our long day just got longer." Saamirya explained as she got into Jethro's car. It was five am, and his turn to drive today.

"What?" Jethro asked as Saamirya buckled Ameera into her car seat.

"Mike has the flu." He will not be able to work today. Saamirya explained.

"That's all right. We'll manage." Jethro said quickly.

"I think if you stay in the back and keep cooking, while I seat and wait on people we will be just fine." Saamirya said simply as they headed towards the diner.

"It would be nice to have somebody help seat people, but we're a bit short on actual employees." Jethro teased.

"I will have to ring people out also." Saamirya added with a heavy sigh. She was used to hard work, but today would be what her friends referred to as "a three pot of coffee day."

"Maybe Ameera would like to help?" Jethro teased as he glanced in the rear-view mirror at the still sleeping child.

"If only she could pay attention long enough." Saamirya said with a chuckle.

Jethro headed right for the kitchen and braced himself for a very long day. He turned on the equipment and unlocked the doors.

"Brace yourself." Jethro said as he stared at the line of people waiting to enter for breakfast.

Breakfast was fast paced and Jethro hardly realized it had slowed down at all when he heard a sharp crack of thunder, and the pounding rain on the roof.

"Is she okay?" Jethro asked as he popped his head out of the kitchen to make sure Ameera wasn't afraid of the storm.

"We are fine." Saamirya said quickly.

Jethro looked around. The diner was about half-full.

"The storm will keep people away. It never rains like this in LA." Jethro said knowingly as the diner emptied out when people finished their meals.

"A blessing in disguise. A perfect day for Mike to get sick." Saamirya added thoughtfully.

"Yes, I think that should be a new rule or something. We're only allowed to get sick on slow, rainy days." Jethro teased.

The lunch rush was smaller than usual, because people were reluctant to leave their offices for such a drive in rainy weather, but the crowd was still respectable, and Jethro spent most of his time in the kitchen. The rest of the day remained steady, but not overwhelmingly busy, and at seven p.m. Jethro left the kitchen to lock the doors and close up for the night.

Jethro emptied the cash register of its contents and sorted through the money, counting it carefully. He smiled to himself, there was a decent amount there. Next Jethro shuffled through the credit card receipts. Small white slips of paper with scratchy signatures in blue ink at the bottom. They all looked the same, except for one. He looked at it quickly, and then slowly once more. It had caught his eye for a reason. It took a moment to register. That's when he realized something. Only one person he had ever known made their capital "S" like that, with the double swirl on the bottom loop. He read the name aloud. "Jessica Shoreman."

Although he knew it was hopeless, and impossible Jethro's heart sank. It would have been lovely to see the name "Jennifer Shepard" Scrawled in perfect, pretty handwriting one more time. Still befuddled by the trademark style of the "S" Jethro flagged down Saamirya as she swept the floor.

"What did she order?" Jethro asked as he waved the receipt in the young girl's face. The total on the receipt was for over thirty dollars, and Jethro didn't remember making that much food for one order, but it had been a long day.

"Why?" Saamirya asked quickly, trying to remember.

"Just curious, lot of food for one person." Jethro mumbled.

"She wasn't alone. She had her daughter with her." Saamirya added.

"Even for two girls they ordered a lot of food. They had the double slices of Shepard's Pie." Saamirya said as the memory came back to her.

Jethro thought back. He thought it was odd that somebody had ordered two slices apiece and he figured it had been hungry men who were working a construction sight just down the road.

"They also had two bowls of Shannon Soup, and then they split a Kelly Cake." Saamirya blurted out as she continued to sweep.

"Thanks." Jethro said quietly, hoping he could save himself from looking like an idiot.

"They were so odd, good tippers, but odd. Mother and daughter whispering an entire conversation. They both kept their sunglasses on the entire time." Saamirya explained.

"Beautiful too, but I don't trust strange and beautiful. Bad things happen when the two combine." Saamirya added superstitiously.

Jethro's interest piqued. He knew if she had been able to pull it off Saamirya would have tried to set him up with somebody. She was always doing that to him and Mike.

"So strange, the mother had jet-black hair, and the daughter had this bright, pretty red hair." Saamirya added as she helped Ameera pack up her coloring books.

"My mom was blond, and my father is brunette, I was born with black hair." Jethro said quickly.

"Well then." Saamirya said dryly.

That night as he watched the baseball game and drank a beer in his quiet townhouse, Jethro Gibbs had dismissed the curly "S" and the black haired woman as a coincidence. That was until later that night as he brushed his teeth.

The shock of the realization hit him so strongly that his toothbrush clattered in the sink. Paris, Rome....Pasitano. Jenny had worn a black wig each time. Jethro had a sinking feeling that Jenny Shepard was alive, but he couldn't figure out who the red-head was with him. She had never had children, he knew that for sure.


	4. Handcuffs

**Disclaimer:** It's not really mine :)

"Hey Abby." Jethro Gibbs said in a quiet voice as Abby picked up her phone.

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled with delight.

"It's so good to hear your voice." Abby said in a quieter tone.

"It's really good to talk to you too, Abs." Jethro said quickly as he sucked in a deep breath.

"What's up? How's the diner?" Abby asked quickly.

"It's great. Good business so far." Jethro said happily.

"Yeah...what a great article in the _Time_s last week by the way." Abby said, and Jethro could practically hear her smiling through the phone.

"How'd you know about that?" Jethro asked quickly.

"I've been reading the west coast papers on-line for years now." Abby quipped.

"Ahhh, the internet, the more I know, the less I understand." Jethro said simply.

"Gibbs, the universe is out of alignment somewhere....what do you need?" Abby said with a sigh. She had known from the moment she had picked up the phone that Jethro needed something.

"An absolutely huge favor that you cannot tell anybody about, not even the Hippo." Jethro said as he referred to Bert, Abby's farting stuffed animal.

"What's going on? Are you and Mike in some kind of trouble?" Abby asked in a low voice as she made her way to the door of her lab to prevent anybody from walking in and hearing the conversation.

"We're both fine. It's actually kind of embarrassing." Jethro said in a low voice. He hated lying, especially to Abby, but if Jethro found what he thought he would then there would be plenty of time for the truth later.

"And the favor?" Abby asked as she glanced at the stack of work on the table in her lab.

"I need you to get me the billing address for a credit card. I had a lady come into the diner a few days ago, and when I went to turn her credit card slip in it came back as unpayable. I was hoping you could get me her address." Jethro explained quickly.

"Gibbs...I can't do that...you're going to go and creep up on her at home? How much it the bill, I'll mail you a check myself." Abby said succinctly.

"Abby...she's a red-head, just about my age." Jethro said with a slight grin, knowing that Abby would be his co-conspirator in an endeavor to "hook up."

"Aha! It all makes sense now." Abby said with a giggle.

"Give me the info Gibbs." Abby directed.

"Okay it's a QwikPay card, the name is Jessica Shoreman, and the here's the number." Jethro rattled the number off quickly.

"Wow! That was fast!" Abby said as her computer returned a result almost instantly.

"Is that a good thing?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah, I just don't understand it though." Abby said as she looked at the results.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Jessica Shoreman's card should have never been uncollectible, it says here she has an $8,000 limit, and right now the card only has $1,500 on it. It's all charges to one pharmacy. Super Care in the Valley." Abby explained.

"Oh my gosh Abby...are you thinking what I am?" Jethro asked in a dazed voice, he still hated lying but he was hoping to throw Abby off the trail until he had some solid answers.

"Yeah, this poor Jessica girl, she's the victim of identity fraud." Abby said in a quiet voice.

"If you get me her address I'll go over and talk to her, you know, maybe if I explain what I used to do she'll be able to get this mess sorted out." Jethro said as his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh how chivalrous!" Abby teased as she rattled off the address to Gibbs.

"Hey Abby...thanks." Jethro said as he hung up the phone.

"You're welcome, and I still miss you." Abby said sadly as she hung up.

Jethro looked at the address. It was a house in the Valley, not too far from his place. He knew he couldn't just brazenly walk to the door like he had told Abby he would. He couldn't even imagine trying to explain that one. So Jethro Gibbs did what all Marines did best. He waited until well after sundown to begin his best work.

Jethro drove to the valley and parked his car a block away from the house. He noticed how nice and elegant the outside was. It was definitely Jenny's style, but Jethro reminded himself that classy women were everywhere, especially California. Two lights were on, but the shades were tightly drawn, and the garage door was closed. Jethro silently made his way into the backyard, and began to snoop as quietly as he could. He stared up at the one window and caught the shadow of a woman as she walked past the window. Without the curtains open it was impossible to tell if it was Jenny.

Jethro went to move from his kneeling position. Now was the time to be brazen and just knock on the door. Before Jethro could stand he felt something cold on the back of his head. He recognized the feeling instantly. It was the barrel of a gun.

"Hands behind your back, interlock your fingers, and don't even try to move." A female voice said it so softly that Jethro barely heard her. He knew instantly the voice did not belong to Jenny, and his heart sank as he complied with the woman's wishes.

The gun was removed from Jethro's head, and for the first time since he had been arrested in Paris, Jethro felt the cold clink of handcuffs as they were fastened around his wrists.


	5. Reunion

"To your feet!" The female voice said in a harsh whisper.

Jethro stood up slowly, saving his best maneuvers for when he really needed them.

"Let's go." The woman hissed as she reached for Jethro's now cuffed hands and began to drag him backwards by the collar of his jacket.

He couldn't see her face, but he knew she had to be incredibly strong, strong enough to drag a non-compliant Leroy Jethro Gibbs towards the house.

Jethro's mind was spinning. He really didn't want to do this to a woman, but his options were few and far between. As he forced the woman to drag him, Jethro wiggled just enough, and with one swift kick his foot came crashing down on the backs of her knees, and she sank to the ground. Jethro ran in the direction of the house, but before he knew it she was on his back, clawing furiously. Suddenly, Jethro froze solid with fear. He knew that noise anywhere. The faint hissing sound...then the pungent aroma...then worst of all the blinding pain. Jethro bit his tongue to avoid screaming as he fell to the ground and shut his eyes tightly, hoping to avoid the worst of the pepper spray.

"Dammit!" Jethro hissed as he felt a hand grab the back of his head and smash his face into the ground. Soil filled his nostrils and the scent of freshly cut grass combined with the pepper spray sent him into a sneezing fit.

"Pansy." Jethro heard the woman utter softly as she gripped his shoulder.

"Listen to me. We're going to play nice now...right?" The woman said as her fingers dug sharply into Jethro's shoulder.

Jethro nodded. His eyes were burning and he had almost choked to death on the lawn. Now was definitely the time to be compliant.

"I'm going to get you into the house, I will run some cold water over your eyes, and then you're going to wait patiently at my kitchen table while I call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing." The woman explained.

Jethro nodded yes.

In one swift movement the grip on his shoulders loosened, and the woman helped him stand up. She gently guided him into the house, he didn't dare open his eyes knowing that would make things worse, but he was aware of the changes in light, temperature, and going up two sets of stairs.

"I'm going to put your head under the faucet now." The woman explained gently as Jethro heard the sound of running water.

Jethro nodded in understanding and waited as the woman gently cupped his cheeks and guided his head under the cool water. The relief was almost instant. Jethro opened his eyes slowly, allowing the cool water to seep in. His vision was blurry, but slowly returning.

"What's going on?" Jethro heard another woman's voice ring out.

"Get back in your room dammit! He's handcuffed for a reason!" The woman holding Jethro's head hissed at the other voice.

"What the hell did you do to him?" The distorted voice yelled over the faucet.

"What I had to." The other woman said quickly.

"Now go get back in your room, and keep the door locked." The woman said as she turned Jethro's head so he could rinse the rest of his face.

"Fine." The other woman grumbled, as she was about to turn around and head back to her room her heart skipped a beat. The man standing over her kitchen sink was the one and only Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

She couldn't understand it, she couldn't explain it, and it sent her into such a paralyzing shock that she fell to the ground in a cold hard fainting spell.

"Jessi!" The woman shouted as she let go of Gibbs and ran towards the older woman.

"What's going on?" Jethro asked. His eyesight was still blurry, and he was handcuffed.

"She's passed out." The woman explained as Jethro saw her kneeling next to the other woman.

"Is she sick?" Jethro asked quickly, trying to recall his first aid training.

"I don't know...maybe just frightened. She has been sick lately though, some sort of brain wave thing, and she's had a rough patch personally lately." The woman explained as she began fanning the woman's face with her hand.

"No...that never works." Jethro said softly as he nodded at the direction of the woman waving her hand.

"Get her a cold washcloth. Put it on her forehead, and speak to her gently. That works best." Jethro said knowingly.

The younger woman shoved past a still handcuffed Jethro and as Jethro's eyesight adjusted he noticed her shining red hair, almost the shade of copper. It fell into her face as she reached for a washcloth and soaked it in cool water.

Jethro watched as the young woman folded it into a compress and placed it on the forehead of the woman who was sprawled on the living room floor.

"Jessi, Jessi, wake up." The younger woman cooed gently.

"You know, if you uncuff me I can help you." Jethro explained.

"Not a chance." She said quickly.

Finally, the woman on the floor stirred, and she sat up slowly.

"What happened Jessi?" The younger woman asked as the woman looked around dazed, and confused.

"Him!" Jessi said angrily as she pointed at Jethro.

The younger woman pulled her hair out of her face and she turned slowly to see the man standing in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room still handcuffed with red swollen eyes. She blinked for a second, he looked so familiar, but it was impossible, she knew that much.

As his eyesight continued to sharpen Jethro got a really good look at the younger woman who was still crouched on the floor next to the older woman. He sighed heavily. He hated when this happened. It was something he had learned during a mandatory psych evaluation. Some people would always remind him of Shannon and Kelly.

"Take off the cuffs!" The older woman demanded of the younger one.

"He's a creep I caught him out by the bushes in the backyard." The girl explained.

"It's an order." The older woman said darkly as she glared at the girl.

Instantly the younger girl hopped up and she quickly uncuffed Jethro. He sighed in relief to have his hands freed.

"Jethro...what the hell are you doing here?" The older woman demanded as she pulled of her short black wig and a cascade of red hair tumbled out from beneath.

"Jenny...what the hell are you doing here?" Jethro asked quickly.

"Jethro?!" The younger woman yelled in horror. She had only ever heard that name once before in her life.

Jenny sighed as she stood up and her silk pajama pants rustled.

"I knew this day would come. I never thought it would be like this. I didn't want it to happen this way." Jenny said as tears stung her eyes. She glanced first at Jethro, then at the young woman that separated the two.

"Kelly...meet your father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Jenny said as she stared at the floor, unable to make eye contact with either Gibbs.

The young woman reached out for the back of the couch and steadied herself. She was a professional, and professionals didn't faint, she reminded herself. It all made sense now. His demeanor, his mannerisms, they had all seemed so familiar.

"I'm not meeting him...I'm getting to know him again." Kelly said as tears stung her eyes and she stared up at her father.

Jethro stared back at the girl. That's what hadn't added up. Something had seemed a bit off, and until this moment he couldn't place it. She was a dead ringer for Shannon. She looked exactly like her mother, but Jethro was smart enough to know there were plenty of young red-heads in the world.

"My daughter is dead." Jethro said quickly as he glared at Jenny, and his hands formed into fists that shook with rage. This was the cruelest kind of trick fate could play.

"No I'm not!" The young woman shouted with all of her might.

"They told me _you _were dead!" Kelly screamed at the top of her lungs as she crumpled to the floor in a heap and began sobbing.

Jethro glanced at Jenny, and instantly Jethro fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Kelly. She was shaking from crying so hard, and she was trying in vain to catch her breath.

"The accident...was...awful!" Kelly wailed.

" I woke up with mom's blood all over me, and strange people telling me I would be fine." Kelly said as she remained curled up tightly.

"They took me to the hospital...and my leg was broken but that was about it. I healed quickly, and every time I asked to see mom they told me she was dead. I asked to see you...and they said...you...died in Kuwait...the same night as....mom!" Kelly managed to choke out as she continued to cry.

"I wanted to see somebody, anybody. Maddie, Papa Jack, but they told me after the trial, after the trial, everything was always after the trial. I had to be a good girl and testify. If I didn't do what I was told the bad people that killed mom would kill me too. I got put in a foster home here in California, and everybody kept telling me that I could see my old friends after the trial. By the time I was twelve I realized that there was never going to be a trial. I began to accept the fact that you and mom were really gone. When I was thirteen I finally got adopted by a really nice family. They were so sweet, it was an older couple in their fifties. They made sure I had everything, and they even sent me to college. They died my junior year though. Ironically, it was a car accident on the same freeway where mom died. I finished school, and applied to work for the US Marshalls' service. Nine weeks ago I got a job protecting the former Director of NCIS." Kelly was breathless by the time she explained everything, but her tears had subsided.

Jethro hugged his daughter tightly, and he began crying too. He felt ashamed that he hadn't ever known or even suspected. His famous gut had let him down when it mattered most.

"Oh Kelly! I'm so sorry!" Jethro said as he buried his head in Kelly's shoulder.

Jenny stood in her living room for at least a half-hour as she watched father and daughter reunited after so many years. They sat there tightly huddled on the floor, hugging one another, crying and whispering back and forth.

"Kelly, I was in Kuwait when my commander told me about you and mom. He said you were both dead. I knew then that my life might as well be over. I ran straight into enemy fire. I didn't die, but I was in a coma for nineteen days. When I woke up I found out that your maternal grandparents had already held the funerals, and all that was left for me was a memorial service with a few friends. I never identified the bodies, or watched you two get buried. I doubt your grandparents would have thought of such details. It was a set-up wasn't it?" Jethro knew that Kelly had probably dug up all the case files she could find once she had the access to various government databases.

Kelly nodded slowly.

"My first day on the job, I stayed late. This one intern had left his computer on. I accessed every file I could under his username. He didn't have that high of a clearance so all I found was that you and mom were dead, and the case involving Pedro Martinez never went to trial, hence the inability for me to be discharged from the foster care system." Kelly explained.

"I never found anything about you, or NCIS." Kelly said softly.

"All my files are confidential. I've worked so many black ops that even my birth certificate is classified." Jethro explained to his daughter.

Jenny glanced at Jethro sharply. He knew he had to explain the whole truth.

"Kelly, the reason there was no trial, well it's complicated. After I recovered from my coma, I went to Mexico and found Pedro Martinez. I killed him as he was getting into his truck. I thought it was vengeance. Now I know it did more harm than good." Jethro said sadly. If he hadn't killed Martinez, there might have been a trial, Kelly might have gotten out of foster care, but that never happened and it was all his fault.

Kelly looked up at her father sharply.

"Never say that..." Kelly said as she squinted her eyes. "I don't care what I've been through, this world is a better place without bastard scum like him." Kelly said darkly.

"She is her father's child." Jenny said with a sigh, and a small smile.

Jethro and Kelly looked up at Jenny, both of their faces stained with tears, and Jethro's eyes were still unbelievably puffy from the pepper spray.

"And don't you have some explaining to do?" Jethro muttered as he looked at Jenny.

"Yep." Jenny said as she huddled on the floor with Kelly and Jethro.

"Spit it out!" Jethro demanded. Kelly giggled slightly. This guy was definetly her father.

"Yeah, so where do I begin?" Jenny said as she sat cross-legged and bit her lip.

"The beginning." Kelly said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, let's see. I faked my own death to protect Jethro, and to get away from NCIS. Vance was breathing down my neck, just waiting to have the title handed over to him on a silver platter. I had been sick for a year at that point, and stepping down to fight my illness full time sounded like a great idea, until a few people from Russia interfered with the more traditional resignation letter, quiet retirement plan. In faking my death I saved you Jethro, and I got the chance to stay here in LA and work with an amazing doctor that Ducky recommended. On account of my status as director I was forced to have security at all times, even after resigning. Kelly was assigned to guard me, and as I got to know the lovely Kelly Miller I began to realize some strange similarities. She never talked about the past, or a family, but when she'd sleep she'd mumble a lot. Sometimes she'd yell, and some of the things she said sounded like they were taken right from the pages of a certain cold-case file." Jenny explained it all so quickly and Jethro's mind was reeling.

"I knew after a few sleepless nights that she was yours." Jenny said softly as she looked into Jethro's dazzling blue eyes.

"You...knew?" Kelly asked in surprise as she sniffled.

Jenny nodded slowly.

"Trust me, I would have said something, but I figured bringing it up would be awkward. I mean how does one really start a conversation like that? I took you to the diner hoping the menu would raise your suspicions, seeing the Shannon Soup and the Kelly Cake." Jenny added quickly.

"In the course of things, Ducky may have falsified an autopsy report." Jenny said as she smiled at Jethro.

Jethro smiled back, happy to know that Ducky had been loyal to Jenny, and had helped her when it mattered most.

"What a night...this is way better than reality tv." Kelly said with a grin as they all remained huddled on the floor.

"Damn straight." Jethro said as he stood up and stretched.

He extended his hands and both girls gripped them and hopped up on their feet.

Kelly let out a yawn.

"Go to bed honey. This is a lot to handle." Jethro said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"But dad....what if I go to sleep and I wake up....and this isn't real?" Kelly whined.

"Trust me honey, it is real." Jethro said as he hugged Kelly tightly.

"Fine." Kelly said as she headed towards her bedroom.

"Kelly...one more thing." Jethro said as his daughter turned back around.

"Yeah dad?" Kelly said with a grin.

"Good work out there tonight...you did good....kicking my ass isn't easy." Jethro said as he smiled at his daughter.

"Thanks dad." Kelly said as she disappeared into her bedroom.

"So Jenny, how you are you feeling these days?" Jethro said as he turned around to face his former boss and lover.

"Much better. This experimental medicine is some great stuff." Jenny said as she tried to hide a yawn.

"I can't believe it. You're both really here." Jethro said as he stared into Jenny's dazzling green eyes.

"Yes we are." Jenny said as she let out a long yawn.

"Tired?" Jethro questioned, already knowing the answer.

"Exhausted." Jenny said as she leaned into Jethro slightly, and he wrapped her in a hug.

Jethro hugged her for just a second and then broke off the embrace.

"I'm going to head out. I'll be back in the morning. Kelly and I have a lot of catching up to do." Jethro said as he headed for the door.

"Jethro..." Jenny said it so softly it was almost a whisper.

"Yes?" Jethro replied as he turned around.

"Don't go...stay with me tonight...we have a lot of catching up to do." Jenny said as she used his words against him.

"Fine, but I'm taking a shower first." Jethro grumbled as he looked down at his grass-stained jeans, and dirty shirt.

"Damn straight, no way in hell are you getting in my bed covered in mud and pepper spray." Jenny said as she reached for Jethro's hand and pulled him towards her bedroom.

"We have our own bathrooms." Jenny explained quickly as she saw the fear in Jethro's eyes. They both knew the best way to top off his reunion with Kelly was not for her to find out he was staying the night.

Jenny pointed to a door just past her closet, it was the bathroom. Jethro headed into the bathroom and took the hottest shower he could stand. His skin was pink, and his vision had returned to normal when he stepped out of the shower, and Jenny was standing right there, her hand extended, holding a towel for him.

"Does she suspect?" Jethro asked, wondering how much Jenny had shared with Kelly in the past nine weeks.

"If she doesn't she's stupid. I've definitely alluded to that one guy I could never get over." Jenny said dryly as she watched Jethro dry off.

"Who's that?" Jethro said with a coy smile as he slipped back into his boxer shorts. It was the only clean part of his outfit.

"You know damn well who I mean." Jenny said as she glared back at Jethro.

"This night has been full of surprises, I'm not so sure about that." Jethro teased as he followed Jenny to the bedroom.

"Get to bed." Jenny demanded as she turned down the covers.

That night as they finally fell asleep Jenny and Jethro clung to each other tightly, thinking about how happy they made each other. There were no pretenses here, nothing expected or demanded, and they cuddled and held hands all night before drifting off to sleep.


	6. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

"Shannon!" Jethro Gibbs yelled so loud his lungs hurt.

He was shaking, and tossing the covers off of him.

"Shannon!" Jethro yelled again. He was short of breath and his chest hurt.

Suddenly a strong hand reached for his shoulder and pulled him back down to the bed. His head hit the soft pillow behind him.

"Jethro...it was just a nightmare." Jenny Shepard said softly as she tried to calm Gibbs.

"No, the nightmare is just beginning. If they got to Kelly they could get to her, I don't know what the truth is anymore." Jethro said as he reached for his cell phone.

"What?" Jenny asked in confusion just as there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"What's going on?" Kelly asked as she peeked inside the bedroom.

Jenny tensed, she wasn't so sure of how this would be explained. Much to her surprise Kelly didn't seem a bit surprised that Jenny and Jethro were sharing the same bed.

"Your father had a nightmare. He had them all the time in Paris, I guess I just got used to it." Jenny explained quickly. She had never had the gall to even ask who Shannon or Kelly had been. At the time Jethro's reputation preceded him, and from the way he had always screamed for them Jenny assumed they had been ex-wives.

"Come on in sweetie." Jenny said as she motioned for Kelly to enter.

Kelly slid into the room, and remained silent, noticing that her father was on the phone.

Kelly glanced at Jenny warily. Niether women had any idea who Jethro was trying to contact.

"Yeah Duck, sorry to disturb you on a nice day like this, I know you're golfing but I have a favor to ask." Jethro said quickly.

Jethro paused momentarily.

"I have a huge favor to ask of you. The exhumation of a body. Shannon Gibbs." Jethro said in a sad voice as he looked at Kelly.

Kelly hung her head and refused eye contact with her father. She knew exactly why he was doing it. If Kelly was alive, there was a chance that Shannon was too.

Jenny recoiled in horror as Jethro and Ducky worked out the details of an exhumation. It seemed that Jethro would be flying back to Virginia for the process.

"Nobody but you Ducky. I only trust you with her. Sign the damn papers, forge my signature if you have to." Jethro said softly.

"Jethro...why may I ask, the sudden interest?" Ducky pressed on.

"Because I met Kelly last night...alive and well." Jethro said as he hung up the phone and looked at Kelly then Jenny.

"My flight leaves in three hours." Jethro said as he looked at the two women.

Jethro raced back to his townhouse and threw some clothes in a duffle bag and briefly explained the situation to Mike Franks who looked so shocked that he may have dropped dead of a heart attack if he hadn't been sitting down.

"Dad...I'm going." Kelly insisted as they drove to the airport.

"Absolutely not. Kelly, if she's there...you don't need to see that." Jethro said as he glanced at his daughter while Jenny drove.

"He's right." Jenny said knowingly as she shuddered at the thought.

"Dad...you're not going to be there, are you?" Kelly said softly.

"Every moment. She deserves that." Jethro said quickly.

Jethro fought back tears as he kissed Jenny and Kelly good-bye and they shared a group hug.

Jethro got on the flight and for the first time ever he didn't fall asleep on the plane ride.

"Well Jethro, it's rather heavy." Ducky said as he pointed to the silver casket that sat on one of the tables.

"That means nothing." Gibbs said as he remembered the case where they opened an empty casket only to find weights instead of a body.

"Jethro, I do not want you in here for this." Ducky said as he stared at his best friend.

"I have to. I owe it to her." Jethro said as Ducky prepared to break the seal on the casket.

"No, you don't." Ducky said harshly.

"Jethro, it's been so long...if it is Shannon, you don't want to see her like this, remember her as she was." Duck said in a softer tone.

"I'm staying." Jethro said simply.

"No you are not!" Ducky yelled.

"I am the medical examiner and I can and will have you forcibly removed from this laboratory!" Ducky said as he headed towards his desk and picked up the phone.

For the first time in his life, Jethro was actually afraid of Ducky. He had always respected the man, but now he was fearful.

"I'll be in the bullpen." Jethro muttered as he turned and left the autopsy lab.

It was a Sunday and Jethro sat at Tony's desk waiting for something, anything. It seemed to take hours, but suddenly Abby and Ducky appeared and stood in front of the desk. Their expressions were grim.

"Jethro...we're sorry. Abby ran the test twice just to be sure. We are positive that it is Shannon." Ducky said sadly as he looked at Gibbs.

Jethro refused to look at either of them. They had done their best, the results were accurate, and Jethro couldn't fault them for that. As much as he tried to reason with himself, Jethro felt like he was losing her all over again.

"Ducky...one small favor?" Jethro asked quietly.

"Anything." Ducky said as he looked at Jethro.

"Send this back with her." Jethro said as he pulled a piece of folded up notepaper out of his pocket. It was pink and decorated with flowers. The front only read "mommy." Kelly had written it that morning as Jethro prepared to leave for the airport.

"Of course." Ducky said as he headed back to autopsy.

Abby leaned in and hugged Gibbs for so long that her cell phone finally rang before they ended their embrace.

"Ducky wants you." Abby explained as she headed towards her lab.

Jethro walked into autopsy. It was spotlessly clean, and the casket was sitting there waiting to be transported back.

"I'll give you two a moment." Ducky said as he scuffled past Jethro and out the doors of the lab.

Jethro rested a hand gently on top of the casket. He fought back tears and whispered the only thing that truly mattered after all the time that had passed.

"I will take care of her." Jethro whispered.

It was late when Jethro returned to LA and Jenny and Kelly picked him up at the airport.

"So?" Kelly finally asked as they made their way back into the house that Kelly and Jenny shared.

"I'm sorry Kelly...they ran all the tests twice. Mom is gone. She has been for a long time." Jethro said as he began sobbing. Kelly's tears began to fall too, and all Jenny Shepard could do was stand there and watch two people she cared about share their sorrows.


	7. Welcome to the Family

"Dad...random question." Kelly said as she handed her dad cup of coffee.

"Yeah?" Jethro asked as he stared at his grown daughter, it had been three days but he was still trying to grapple with the realization that she was alive.

"So if it's really mom, in the burial plot, and she has in fact been there since 1991 then who is in my casket?" Kelly asked as she stared at her father.

Jethro almost spit out his coffee. He hadn't even thought about that. He had been so wrapped up in Shannon's exhumation that he hadn't gone so far as to speculate on how somebody had managed to keep it a secret that Kelly was alive.

"There is only one way to find out." Jethro said as he swallowed his coffee.

"Find out what?" Jenny asked as she made her way into the kitchen, her hair wild from sleep and her eyes not fully open.

"Nice hair." Jethro teased.

Jenny shot him a look that could have melted an iceberg. She was clearly not awake enough to handle the teasing.

"How I didn't get buried." Kelly explained quickly as she re-filled her own coffee cup.

"Interesting." Jenny said as she reached for a coffee mug and headed to the coffee pot.

"Yeah, I can't believe I didn't even think of it while I was there." Jethro said quickly.

"You're losing your touch." Jenny said knowingly.

"Don't say that." Jethro growled.

"It's true. Now Ducky's going to have to deal with another exhumation." Jenny said swiftly.

"Nasty...it makes my insides turn to think about it." Kelly said a she shuddered.

"We need answers." Jethro explained quickly in an attempt to calm Kelly.

Kelly only nodded, she knew that oh-so well. From age eight Kelly had done nothing with her life except seek answers.

"Jen...why are you still under the protection of the Feds?" Jethro asked quickly as another thought came to him.

"Because the threat isn't completely eradicated." Kelly and Jenny said in one voice.

Jethro looked at Jenny and raised his eyebrow.

"According to who?" Jethro asked quickly.

"Leon Vance."Jenny quipped.

Jethro smacked his hand on the counter top so hard it was red and sore. He knew that Vance wasn't trustworthy and now he knew why.

"I killed Olga the night after you died." Jethro said quickly.

"Let me guess...in the study with the revolver?" Jenny said as her face fell. Her blood ran cold in her veins.

"You torched the brownstone didn't you? You and Franks. The female body they found in the rubble was identified as me, that's where the news reports came from...didn't they?" Jenny said as she put the pieces together in her mind. For the past nine weeks Jenny had thought that Vance had fabricated that part of the story for the news outlets, now she knew that there had actually been a body.

"You set her house on fire?!" Kelly asked in shock. Swiftly the back of her hand collided with her father's head, and it made a satisfying crack as she attempted to knock some sense into him.

"Ow! Where did you learn that?" Jethro asked in shock.

"You, I used to see you do it to the other guys in the unit all the time." Kelly said with a smile.

"Especially Maddie's dad." Kelly added with a grin.

"I guess I deserved it." Jethro said warily as he rubbed the hurt away.

"Not as much as you deserve this." Jenny said as she set her coffee cup down.

Jethro's eyes widened as Jenny sauntered towards him. His eyes grew wide with fear. He had been on the receiving end of a swift kick to the groin from Jenny several times before. At least for today she didn't have spiked heels on. Jethro braced for the inevitable.

"Kelly...close your eyes." Jenny said as she eyed the younger red head.

"I can take it like an adult." Kelly said, knowing that her father would soon be gasping in pain.

"Do it." Jenny commanded, and swiftly Kelly covered her eyes with her hand.

Jenny leaned in and wrapped her arms around Jethro. She leaned upward on her tiptoes and kissed him passionately. They both were breathless when it was over, each of them unable to recall the last time they had kissed with such fervor, most likely it had been in Paris.

"What was that for?" Jethro asked wide-eyed.

"Kelly open your eyes." Jenny directed, before she answered Jethro's question.

"An answer would be nice." Jethro prodded.

"I had that brownstone insured to the hilt." Jenny said as she turned and headed back to her bedroom to get dressed.

Jethro smiled as he glanced at Kelly.

"She bought this place...with _cash_." Kelly said still in awe over the business transaction she had witnessed only a few months prior.

Jethro's mind spun at the prospect. He couldn't even imagine buying an entire house with cash, especially in California.

"Sounds like the Jenny I've always known." Jethro said as he glanced at his daughter.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jethro asked as he wrapped Jenny in a nervous hug. She nodded slightly.

"I think it's the best way to handle things considering." Kelly added as she paced back and forth in the airport terminal.

"I can't wait." Jenny said with a wry smile on her face.

"I can't believe Mike gave me time off from the diner." Jethro teased. It had been simple really. He had told Mike everything, and Mike had insisted that Jethro take some time to sort everything out and get to know his daughter.

Seven hours later Jenny and Jethro took one more familiar ride in the elevator. The only thing that made this ride different from the rest was that they had Kelly with them. The doors opened on the very top level of the building, and Jenny bolted out. She ran through the double doors, past Cynthia with Jethro and Kelly right behind her. Cynthia sat there stunned and silent as the trio forced their way into Vance's office.

Leon Vance was sitting behind his desk signing of on case reports when he looked up. The color drained from his face, and he did a double-take as he stared at Jenny Shepard.

"Leon, you look like you've seen a ghost." Jenny said slyly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Vance said angrily as he directed his question at both Jethro and Jenny.

"Why did you lie to me? Olga was dead the night after I left town. I could have resigned like a normal person. Instead you have me hiding out in California!" Jenny said as she glared at the Director of NCIS.

"You went out there to look for her didn't you!" Vance yelled as he looked at Jethro.

"No, actually I found him." Jenny replied before Jethro could even open his mouth.

"At least you brought your protection detail." Vance joked as he glanced at Kelly.

"No, I brought Jethro's daughter." Jenny said calmly just as Cynthia walked into the office.

Cynthia stopped in her tracks. She remembered something about Gibbs, and a daughter and an accident but it had been years ago and the details had been sketchy.

"Jethro doesn't have children." Vance said quickly.

"Check again moron." Kelly said derisively.

"Agent Miller...do not take that tone with me!" Vance reprimanded.

"It's Agent Gibbs to you!" Kelly yelled back.

"Sit, all three of you. Let's see if we can sort through this mess like normal people." Vance instructed as he pointed at the leather couch in his office.

Happily all three squished onto the couch.

"I kept you hidden for your own good. I have one agent who is currently in the process of going through all of your files, and making sure you didn't leave any loose more loose ends." Vance explained.

"I only left Olga." Jenny said quietly as she looked at Jethro.

"Why?" Jethro asked, still unsure of why Jenny hadn't killed her. It didn't make any sense.

"I couldn't. She begged and pleaded. You had shot her husband earlier that night. They had two kids...they needed somebody. I figured a bad mother who had ties to organized crime was better than no mother at all." Jenny said as she looked at the floor.

"Is that it?" Vance asked from behind his desk.

"Yep." Jenny said as she exhaled deeply.

"And how do you explain Agent Miller? Is she a clandestine love child?" Vance asked as he looked at Gibbs.

"She's from my first marriage." Jethro said as he cleared his throat, stressing the word first.

Vance's mind flashed back. He had read it in a personnel file once.

"It's really her isn't it?" Vance said as he looked at the girl who had been assigned to protect Jenny.

Gibbs nodded as he wrapped an arm around Kelly.

"Well that is good news." Vance said as he looked at the pictures on his desk, thankful that his children were safely at school, and that Jackie his wife was most likely at home cooking a nice dinner for all of them.

"What happened?" Vance pressed.

"She got lost in the foster system. Everybody told her I was dead, everybody told me she was dead." Gibbs elaborated.

"Let's look into that...it's a bit suspicious." Vance said as he stood up and dismissed the trio.

"Hey Cynthia." Jenny said casually as she walked past her secretary as if Jenny had just left for lunch and was returning to her office.

"We'll chat later." Jethro added as he filed past. There were a few other people that Gibbs was anxious to see.

"Word travels fast." Jethro whispered as he walked down the blue carpeted stairs and saw that Ducky, Jimmy Palmer, Abby, McGee, DiNozzo, Ziva and Nicki Jardine were all assembled in the bullpen. Other agents around them were staring to see what the commotion was. Out of the corner of his eye Jethro caught Tobias Fornell exiting the elevator.

"I think they're happy to see me." Jenny said as she whispered in Jethro's ears.

"I'm chopped liver?" Jethro teased.

"No, you're just an old gunney who's eyesight is shot." Kelly teased. She had for some reason hung on to every word Jenny had ever spoken about the man she could never get over.

"What is going on?" Ziva asked wide-eyed as her best friend Jenny Shepard stood before her.

"I am back. That is all you need to know." Jenny said quietly as the two women embraced.

Abby glanced at Gibbs, then the younger woman standing next to him. She figured it out instantly. Ducky had almost let the secret slip in the lab a few days ago, but Abby had pretended to ignore him. Now she knew for sure.

"Kelly!" Abby said as she wrapped the young girl in a hug.

"Abby?" Kelly said as she looked over Abby's shoulder at her father. Jenny had told her so much about Abby.

"She does that a lot." Gibbs said as he stared at a shocked Kelly. She wasn't big on the touchy-feely stuff and a hug from a stranger rattled her slightly.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Abby said as she broke off the hug and extended her hand.

"Abby Sciuto...forensic scientist." Abby said as she shook hands with Kelly.

"Kelly Marie Gibbs. US Marshall." Kelly said as she shook Abby's hand back.

After a round of introductions, and explanations the group settled down.

"Gibbs...elevator." Ducky directed as he pointed towards the elevator.

Reluctant to leave the conversation Gibbs stood up and followed Ducky. The second the doors closed Ducky began to speak.

"You really should have her tested." Ducky said as he eyed Jethro.

"She's on experimental drugs, she insists she feels better." Jethro said assuming Ducky was referring to Jenny.

"Not her, the girl. I saw this once before when I was with Scotland Yard. She could be an imposter." Ducky said swiftly.

"She's not, she knows too many details." Gibbs retorted quickly.

"I thought the same thing twenty-seven years ago, until a senior investigator proved me wrong." Ducky said plainly.

"Fine." Gibbs said as he hit a button to return the elevator to the bullpen.

"Abby!" Jethro barked as he held the elevator doors open.

Abby ran to the elevator, and waited for Gibbs to hit the power switch once they started moving.

"She's a fed...her DNA is on file." Gibbs said as he stared at Abby.

Abby's eyes grew wide.

"You don't think somebody would really do that to you?" Abby asked as she walked into her lab with Gibbs following.

"I don't know." Gibbs said honestly.

"How long will it take?" Gibbs asked as he locked the door to the lab.

"Your DNA is on file, so is hers, once I access the database it will take less than a minute to compare it." Abby explained as she clacked away on the keyboard.

Jethro watched nervously as the computer monitor lit up and Abby kept plugging away.

After a few minutes Abby's computer beeped and Jethro glanced away, terrified of the results.

"Congratulations Gibbs! It's a girl, and she's all yours!" Abby said as she pointed to the monitor. The search results box was blinking "positive result" In big red letters.

"Awesome. I knew it." Jethro said as he stood up and hugged Abby.

"I'm going to get you a caf-pow." Jethro said as he left Abby standing there in her lab, with a smile plastered on her face.

Jethro headed back to the bullpen, and as if to show Ducky that he had been right all along Jethro hugged Kelly tightly.

Ducky smiled at Jethro.

"Well, I have work to do." Ducky said knowing full well that the exhumation of what was supposed to be Kelly's casket was underway.

"I'm scared to death." Kelly said as she looked at Jenny.

"Don't worry. It won't be so bad, one time all we found in an empty coffin was weights." Jenny explained.

"Really?" Kelly asked as she raised her eyebrow and glanced at Jenny.

"Yep." Tony said as he recalled the case.

Three hours later Ducky and Jimmy Palmer arrived in the squad room. Poor Jimmy was loaded down with three large dumbbells.

"I present to you the contents of the casket." Ducky said as Jimmy Palmer set the weights on McGee's desk. Jethro glanced at Kelly, then Jenny, then all three of them had a meeting of the minds, and tears silently fell from Kelly's eyes, she was relieved it hadn't been a body.

"I want it to be well know, just so we're all clear...if nobody buries me with a caf-pow I will haunt all of you." Abby said with a smirk as she attempted to lighten the mood.

"Berry mango madness." Ziva said quickly, catching on to Abby's way of redirecting the conversation.

"Harry Hangover." McGee said quickly.

"Tabasco and seltzer water." DiNozzo added.

"Coffee" Jenny said with a giggle.

"Bourbon." Jethro said simply.

"Scotch." Ducky quipped.

"Blue Razz slushy." Palmer added.

Suddenly everybody was staring at Kelly. She wasn't used to this kind of banter.

"Bourbon, _and_ Coffee." Kelly said with a smirk. She couldn't decide what to choose between, and some mornings it seemed like she should really just add bourbon to her coffee to make the day go smoother.

"She _is_ yours!" Ducky said triumphantly as he looked at Jethro.

"Even in death we will be well hydrated." Jenny said with a laugh.

"Are your conversations always so random?" Kelly asked with a smile.

"Yes." Ziva said quickly as she had experience in being an outsider.

"Welcome to the family." Tony DiNozzo said as he smiled at Kelly.


	8. Catching Up

**Author's Note:** So far most of the story has been angsty, and kind of sad. This next chapter is going to be a bit more lighthearted and fun, even if it is farfetched. I hope you all enjoy! Thanks for the kind reviews! I still don't own any of this :)

"I am exhausted." Jethro said as he slipped into bed next to Jenny. They had flown back to California that same day.

"I bet...two trips to DC in less than three days. You'll sleep well tonight." Jenny said as she slid under the comforter and cuddled up to Jethro.

"Jen...we haven't had much time to talk. How are you feeling? Really?" Jethro pressed as he wrapped an arm around Jenny.

"Better. When I had to shoot in that diner my hands were shaking so bad, and not from fear. I was in a lot of pain too, but what these doctors are doing now, it's great. I have my moments and it's only been a few months. I can tell a difference already." Jenny said quickly.

"That's good." Jethro whispered as he ran a hand through Jenny's hair, unsure of what exactly he should say.

"Today has worn me out though." Jenny added as she rested her hand over Jethro's and he could feel it shaking slightly.

"Get your rest my dear." Jethro said as he leaned in and kissed Jenny's forehead before they fell asleep.

It surprised Jenny and Jethro both how well Kelly had taken to them suddenly co-habitating. It seemed as if Jethro would give up the townhouse that he had been renting in order to stay with Jenny. The trio acted like their own little family, and the next morning Jethro woke up early to make waffles for breakfast.

"So Kelly...what's life like for you these days? Is there anyone special? Where do you live when you're not on assignment?" Jethro asked as he handed her a plate with a waffle on it.

Kelly glanced at Jenny, and then back at her father. The corners of her mouth turned down slightly.

"What aren't you telling me?" Jethro asked.

"Well, I live in the city. I have my own apartment. It's small, but it's mine, and on my schedule I can't justify a big place all to myself when I'm never really there. I never thought I'd live in LA, but that's how things have worked out." Kelly said as she smiled at her dad.

"Any special guys I should run background checks on?" Jethro pressed.

Jenny and Kelly exchanged that same knowing glance.

"What am I missing?" Jethro demanded.

"Well there was this one guy. He was great, and I thought we had a future. One night I go over to his place, now keep in mind that I've been on assignment for three weeks. Right away he starts harping on me about how I'm never around. Most guys it seems can't deal with the fact that my schedule isn't the greatest." Kelly explained with a sad look in her eyes.

"You loved him didn't you?" Jethro said softly.

Kelly nodded slowly.

"It's for the best. If he can't handle my lifestyle it's best to know right away." Kelly said logically as she pushed the thought out of her mind.

"What did I tell you?" Jenny asked in a cheerful voice.

"I will find that special someone, someday, somewhere, somehow." Kelly said as she smiled at Jenny.

Later that night after dinner Jethro went looking for Kelly. He found her on the back patio, gazing up at the stars.

"I feel like I've missed so much." Jethro said as he sat down next to Kelly.

"Me too." Kelly said honestly.

"Can we fix that?" Jethro asked. He wasn't sure where to start. They had both missed out on years of each other's lives.

"We can try." Kelly said as she stared at the stars.

"I think mom would like that." Jethro said as Kelly rested her head on her father's shoulder.

"She would love it." Kelly said knowingly.

"Dad...Abby gave me an idea. We got split up when I was eight years, two months, three days and seventeen hours old." Kelly said as she laughed.

"Abby calculated it didn't she?" Gibbs said as he chuckled.

"Sure did." Kelly said with a smile.

"She said that maybe, just maybe if I asked nicely you would help me re-live the past one milestone at time. I've already got a list going." Kelly explained.

"A list?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah. You always said that when I turned nine you would take me to a professional football game. We need to do that. We'll have to wait until Autumn of course, but let's put it on the list." Kelly elaborated.

"I like this idea." Jethro said happily knowing that Abby had the best ideas.

"Me too." Kelly said as she shivered, and stood up to go inside.

"Kelly, one more thing." Jethro said quietly.

"Yeah dad?" Kelly asked.

"Me and Jenny, I know it's a lot for you to handle at once. Would you prefer it if I went back to my own place tonight? I would do that, I mean until we all get adjusted to this new life of course." Jethro explained.

"Dad, stay here tonight. It's where you've always belonged." Kelly said as she turned and headed into the house.

Jethro fell asleep that night next to an already snoring Jenny, knowing that Kelly was right.

At five fifteen the next morning Jethro was drawn from a sound sleep by somebody shaking his shoulder. He turned over to see Kelly, still in her pajamas.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Kelly hissed in an excited whisper.

"Yeah...are you sick or something?" Jethro asked as he sat up in bed.

"No. I was just wondering...can we go to the aquarium, and the zoo, and the mall and Make-An-Animal, and the amusement park...and the skating rink. All today?" Kelly asked with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah, sure thing kid." Jethro said as he swung his feet out of the bed remembering that today was the first day he and Kelly were going to catch up on everything they had missed.

"Not now dad. Later, when all that stuff is open." Kelly said with a grin as Jethro put his feet on the floor.

"What?" Jethro asked as he glanced at the clock.

"Later. For now I just wanted to be that annoying kid that bugs the crap out of their parents." Kelly explained.

"Did Abby put you up to this?" Jenny asked groggily as she rolled over and reached for Jethro.

"Nope. DiNozzo." Kelly said as she sauntered out and back to her own bedroom for a few more hours of sleep.

"If they weren't three hours ahead I'd call him right now and harass the crap out of that kid." Jethro mumbled as he lay back down.

"Just wait. We'll get him eventually." Jenny said as she grinned wickedly and pulled Jethro in for a kiss.

"Don't you want real food?" Jethro teased as he watched Kelly alternate between bites of a candy apple and cotton candy.

"Nope. I want to puke my brains out on the scrambler." Kelly said as the walked on the boardwalk casually.

"I can't believe we've gotten so much done." Jethro said as he smiled. It had been a long day, but it had been well spent with Kelly.

"I can't believe my boss gave me a month off!" Kelly said as she finished the apple.

"Tobias Fornell is very persuasive." Jethro said with a smirk.

"By my count we have one more stop." Kelly said as they headed for the car.

"Oh.....no...please!" Jethro begged.

Kelly shook her head no. This was a non-negotiable item. Jethro drove towards the one place he feared the most in the entire world. The parking lot was packed even for a random weekday.

"I'm going to make the cutest animal ever!" Kelly announced proudly as she walked into Make-An-Animal.

Jethro groaned. He hated this place. He had suffered through it once when Fornell had to pick up a gift for Emily, but every time he drove past one they were always busy, kids were always screaming, and the employees were way too happy.

"Welcome!" A young woman said happily as she handed Kelly a small bear.

"Cuddles wants a hug!" The woman explained as Kelly hugged the bear.

Kelly handed the bear off to her father.

"You're freaking kidding, right?" Jethro said in a low voice.

Kelly pouted, and Jethro finally hugged the bear just in time for Kelly to capture the image on her camera.

Forty-five minutes later Kelly had a new stuffed unicorn that was wearing a Marine Corps dress uniform complete with dog tags and four combat boots. Jethro left the store with a splitting headache.

"Dinner?" Jethro asked as his stomach growled.

"I want Happy Burger Town!" Kelly said excitedly.

"Don't you think you've had enough junk for one day?" Jethro teased.

Kelly once again pouted.

"Fine. Happy Burger Town it is!" Jethro said as they headed for the restaurant.

"Dad! Say something!" Kelly whined as she stood there in front of her father.

"What?" Jethro asked as Kelly rummaged through a shopping bag and produced a red snake skin print halter top and a short black skirt.

Jenny leaned in and whispered.

"This is the part where you tell her that her clothes are indecent and she's never leaving the house looking like that." Jenny explained.

A lightbulb went on somewhere in Jethro's brain. It seemed that Kelly, Abby and Jenny had all conspired to really help Kelly and Jethro relive the past they hadn't had a chance to share.

"Young lady, you will not leave this house in that." Jethro said as he pointed at the ensemble.

"But I spent my own money!" Kelly whined.

"What have you been taught about money. Clearly, you're not spending it wisely. So maybe I should just take all your money." Jethro teased. He knew that having an allowance withheld was the worst fate of all.

"Fine! I hate my life! I might as well live in a convent!" Kelly said as she stomped off to her room and slammed the door.

Jenny and Jethro looked at each other and dissolved into a laughing fit.

Kelly re-appeared from her room.

"Strange thing is, that ten years ago that was my greatest wish. All these kids would come to school complaining about fighting with their parents...I would sit there silently wishing I only had parents to fight with. Dad, that pretend fight was a dream come true." Kelly said as she hugged her dad tightly.

"Glad I could help." Jethro said honestly.

"Well guys...have a great night!" Kelly yelled as she emerged from her room later that night in the red tank top and skirt. This time her hair was done, her make-up was a bit overdone, and she had borrowed a pair of heels from Jenny.

"Don't drink and drive." Jethro said as he continued reading the boating magazine he was engrossed in.

"That's it? That's all you have to say? Where's my lecture?" Kelly asked quickly.

"Okay, okay." Jethro said as he got up.

"No drinking and driving, never leave your drink unattended. Go to the bathroom in groups. If you need a ride call me. Don't get separated from your friends. Make sure you have your pepper spray, service weapon, knife, handcuffs, and the phone number of somebody who can bail you out." Jethro rattled off.

Kelly opened her purse and Jethro was pleased at the contents. If nothing, Kelly was well prepared.

"It's a bunch of girls from work." Kelly elaborated.

"In short, she won't be the only one packing." Jenny said with a smile.

"I like the sound of that." Jethro said as he hugged Kelly.

"I'll be back before the sun is up." Kelly said as she headed out.

"Love ya!" Jethro shouted as the front door slammed.

"So..." Jenny said trailing off as she stood in front of Jethro.

"So...what?" Jethro asked, eager to return to his boating magazine.

"We have the house to ourselves." Jenny said coyly as she raised her eyebrow and ran towards her bedroom.

Jethro took the hint instantly. He was hot on Jenny's heels, and as their moans of pleasure echoed off the walls, Jethro was very happy indeed that the house was all theirs. It had been their first time since Paris, and it had been well worth the seven year wait, Jethro decided as he tried to catch his breath.

"I forgot about how enthusiastic you can be." Jethro said as he lay in bed, exhausted.

"My magazine was right." Jenny said as she rolled over and pulled a sheet up to cover her just slightly.

"What magazine?" Jethro asked curious.

"This health and wellness magazine I get from the doctor who runs my treatment group. It's full of tips and tricks to help keep me fit and healthy." Jenny explained.

"But what was it right about?" Jethro asked.

Jenny leaned over the side of the bed and rummaged through the drawer of her night stand. She produced the magazine and flipped to page eighty-two. She thrust the magazine into Jethro's hands. He had to hold it at arms length to read it properly.

"_How to keep your love life hot while undergoing intense treatment: Ten Easy Steps for the Modern Woman_."

The headline screamed in big bold letters. Jethro glanced at the article.

"Hmm...seems my theory from Pasitano was right after all, love is the best medicine." Jethro said with a smirk as he handed the magazine back to Jenny.

"I think I need another dose." Jenny said as she straddled Jethro and bent down to kiss him.

"Just what the doctor ordered." Jethro panted as he kissed Jenny back.


	9. standards and sleepovers

**Author's Note: **I know it might sound awful, but I highly recommend the "McGeek" Sandwich. I was inspired by the episode _"Twisted Sister_" where McGee's sister has a weird pizza she eats. I figured that he deserved his own food oddity as well. For those brave enough to attempt the sandwich please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it!

"Where are we going?" Jethro asked as Kelly threw a set of keys at him.

"You never had the chance to teach me how to drive." Kelly explained.

"But you already know how." Jethro said as he sat in a booth at Decker's.

"Not a standard." Kelly replied quickly.

Jethro looked down and realized that the keys in his hand belonged to Mike Frank's truck. He groaned so loudly that the people in the booth next to them looked over with concern.

"Fine." Jethro said as he stood up.

"It can't be that bad...I'm a good driver. No accidents, no tickets..._ever_." Kelly explained as they got into Mike's truck.

"That means nothing." Jethro said as he started the car.

"I thought I was supposed to drive." Kelly pouted as she fastened her seatbelt.

"For now...you watch. I drive." Jethro said as he shifted gears and pulled out of the parking lot.

"It's not so hard once you get used to it, but pay attention closely, or you will have an accident." Jethro warned as he sped through the desert.

Jethro drove for about forty minutes before he and Kelly trade places.

"The best advice is to go slow at first." Jethro said as he helped Kelly switch gears.

The car jerked and jolted down the lonely desert road. Jethro was silently thankful that there were no other cars on the road. Jethro temporarily lost himself in thought when the horrible sound of metal scraping metal jerked him back to reality.

"You're going to strip the gears!" Jethro yelled as Kelly stopped the car.

"That's it! I quit!" Kelly yelled as she got out of the car and made her way around to the passengers side.

"Nope." Jethro said plainly. He refused to budge from the passengers seat.

"Move." Kelly said as she crossed her arms.

"Nope, you're a Gibbs and we don't ever quit...ever. Now get back in this car...pay attention, and trust me, you'll do fine, it just takes practice." Gibbs said with a sigh.

Reluctantly, Kelly got back into the car and tried her hardest to pay attention and do what she was told.

"Much better." Jethro complimented her as the ride smoothed out.

"Hey Probie! You're still alive!" Mike Franks teased as Kelly and Jethro walked back into the diner.

"Thanks for the wheels." Kelly said as she tossed the keys to Mike.

"No problem." Mike Franks grinned at the younger girl.

"That was a lot to handle. I need a Kelly cake on the double." Kelly said as she sat down at the counter.

"I'll take one too." Jenny said as she sipped a strawberry milkshake.

"I understand why you told me to go unarmed." Kelly whispered in Jenny's ear.

The older woman grinned at Jethro wickedly, and laughed.

"Are you two telling secrets again?" Jethro teased.

"Make yourself useful and get us some chow." Jenny teased right back.

"Fine...I'm going to make myself a McGeek." Jethro added as he headed to the kitchen.

Jethro disappeared and Kelly and Jenny took one look at each other and laughed yet again.

"He taught me when we were in Europe. I threatened to shoot him more than once." Jenny whispered.

"Wow." Kelly whispered in awe as her eyes grew big.

"My mom threatened to leave him." Kelly said with a laugh.

"Really?" Jenny asked in surprise.

"Yeah he tried to teach her how to drive a standard and it turned into this big fight. She was just teasing of course, but in the end she finally forked over her hard earned cash for professional driving lessons." Kelly explained with a smile.

"Wow. I must warn you, although I doubt the opportunity would ever arise, never, ever let Ziva drive you anywhere. Ever." Jenny repeated as she stressed the last word.

"Okay..." Kelly said with a small grin.

"No Kelly, we're serious. It is that bad. If you do let Ziva drive you should just make an appointment with Ducky beforehand." Jethro elaborated as he set down three plates on the counter.

"Dang." Kelly said as she bit into her cake.

"Eww...what are you eating?!" Kelly asked in shock as she looked at her father.

"Mmm...want some?" Jethro said as he thrust his sandwich in Kelly's face.

"Get it away from me!" Kelly yelled with fear in her eyes.

"For your information it is called a McGeek...it's Tim McGee's favorite sandwich." Jethro explained as he chewed noisily.

"What is that white stuff?" Kelly asked with disgust as she watched white stuff ooze out the side of the sandwich.

"It is marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, grape jelly and three strips of bacon, wheat bread all toasted to perfection." Mike Franks explained as he stood next to Kelly.

"I'm going to vomit." Kelly said as her fork fell from her hand and clattered onto her plate.

"Don't knock it until you try it!" Saamirya exclaimed.

"Bacon?" Kelly said with a raised eyebrow as she looked at Saamirya with confusion.

"I get it without." Saamirya explained quickly.

"I would think so." Kelly said as she continued eating. She had thought that pork product was off limits for Saamirya.

"So just the fluff and the peanut butter and jelly then? That can't be too bad." Kelly mused.

"It's Ameera's favorite." Saamirya explained.

"Maybe someday I will work my way up to the bacon." Kelly said as she finished her food.

"Let's head out, we've got a big night." Jenny said as she looked at her watch.

"Eighty three bucks? How many people are coming over?" Jethro groaned as the cashier announced the total.

"Seven." Kelly said quickly.

"Jenny...I thought we agreed, like three or four?" Jethro said as he handed the cashier his debit card.

"You only live once Jethro." Jenny replied as she looked at Jethro with a stern expression, and he knew better than to push the subject.

"I'll get the pizza in the oven!" Jenny promised as Kelly headed to her bedroom to change into pajamas.

"Thanks!" Kelly yelled.

"You're sure I have to stay? I can't go play cards or something?" Jethro groaned as he filled a large bowl with potato chips.

"You...must...suffer..." Jenny said tauntingly as she preheated the oven.

"Fine." Jethro said as the doorbell rang. He was still unsure of how this evening would go, but Kelly had insisted on a sleep over. She had said that it was one last thing she would do to re-create her childhood. Jethro was now wondering why he had agreed to such a thing, but then he reminded himself that he would do anything for Kelly, and besides it was a way to get to know her friends.

"I'll get it!" Jethro yelled.

Jethro opened the front door of the house to see seven faces staring back at him, all girls, with their hair in braids, wearing sweat suits, carrying pillows, sleeping bags, and overnight bags.

"You must be Kelly's dad!" One of the girls yelled as they forced their way into the front hall and proceeded to surround Jethro.

"Hi girls! I'll just go get Kelly." Jethro said as he turned to find Kelly standing there in flannel pajamas with penguins on them.

"Girls!" Kelly yelled with a squeal as she jumped up and down.

The next thing Gibbs knew he was trapped in a group of women that were acting like teenagers, squealing, hugging each other, and figuring out where to put their stuff. Jethro thought his eardrums were going to burst. He whistled sharply, and the chatter died instantly.

"Everything goes in the living room. I've already re-arranged the furniture!" Jethro yelled as he pointed towards the living room.

The girls followed one another, maintaining their pack formation as they moved.

"Thanks Mr. Gibbs!" One of the girls yelled as she walked into the living room and saw that the furniture had all been pushed up against the wall to make room for the party that was about to ensue.

"It's Gibbs!" Jethro yelled back.

"I know...that's what I said!" The voice yelled back.

"No Bethany...he means _just_ Gibbs...he hates it when people call him Mister!" Kelly yelled to correct her friend.

"Sorry...Gibbs!" Bethany yelled.

"It's quite all right." Jethro said as he stood in the doorway of the living room, Jenny standing just behind him.

"Ignore him, he's a cranky old man." Jenny said as she pushed past Jethro.

"Can do." Bethany said as she spread out her sleeping bag.

"Nice to see you again." Bethany said a she hugged Jenny.

Jethro raised an eyebrow and stared down Jenny.

"Bethany works with Kelly...she put all the documentation together to help me begin life as Jessica Shoreman." Jenny explained.

"Speaking of." Bethany said as she broke off the hug and reached into her bag and produced a large manilla envelope.

"Vance called me this morning. I need all of your documents." Bethany said as she handed Jenny the envelope.

"Gladly." Jenny said as she stood there next to Jethro. She was sick of being Jessica Shoreman. She wanted to be plain old Jenny Shepard once again.

"I'll shred it first thing Monday, and I'll send all of the paperwork to legal so we can transfer back the deed to your house and your driver's license....Got that Chrissa?" Bethany yelled.

"Yep." A blond girl replied as she plopped down onto the floor.

"Chrissa works in legal, she helps sort out the finer details of a new identity." Kelly elaborated.

"Are these all work people?" Jethro asked as he stared at Kelly.

"Yep. My work is my life." Kelly said as she introduced everybody else in the room.

Gibbs smiled at his daughter. She was exactly like him.

"Is Maddie coming?" Jethro asked. He had driven to Oakland a few days before to explain everything to Kelly's best friend from childhood. Kelly hadn't wanted to go right away, fearing that it would be too much for Maddie to handle. Jethro had invited Maddie to the sleep over, but her mind was still trying to process the fact that Kelly was alive and well.

"She texted me earlier this morning. She's not so sure yet. Maybe a meeting with just the two of us is the best thing after all." Kelly said softly.

Jethro nodded. Maddie was a sweet girl, and eager to see Kelly, but this was a surprise that would take time to adjust to.

"Set it up Ali!" Kelly yelled as one of the girls pulled a video game console out of her bag.

From the kitchen a timer was buzzing.

"That would be the pizza!" Jenny said happily as she headed to the kitchen with Jethro closely behind her.

"Mmm...you're a good cook." Jethro teased as Jenny took the pizza out of the oven and proceeded to cook.

"I slaved all day..." Jenny said as she began putting pizza on paper plates.

"I'm sure they'll want this." Jethro said as he reached into the fridge and started grabbing beer for everyone.

"I'm sure. I bet Kelly didn't have that at sleep overs back in the day." Jenny teased as she headed to the living room to distribute the pizza.

"Absolutely not." Jethro said quickly.

"Thanks!" Eight voices chorused as Jenny and Jethro handed everybody their pizza and beer.

"Girls...we have plenty of chips, and brownies and all kinds of junk food...and definitely more beer." Jenny explained.

"I'm sure we'll need to refuel later!" Kelly said as she finished her pizza.

"I bet." Jethro said as he surveyed his living room floor that was now littered with sleeping bags, empty beer bottles and some sort of mat that he'd never seen before.

"Is that a throw rug?" Jethro asked as he pointed at the mat.

"Dad!" Kelly groaned.

Jenny chuckled.

"Jethro...it's an Ultimate Dance Revolution Party mat." Jenny explained.

"I don't get it." Jethro said as he stood there in awe.

"Is it all ready?" Jenny asked as she looked at Bethany.

"Yep...rock on." Bethany instructed as she handed Jenny a headset and turned the TV on.

Jenny put the headset on and stood on the mat. The screen on the television divided itself into two frames...the top was the video game and the bottom was fuzz, but only for a few seconds. Much to Jethro's surprise Abby's face appeared on his TV. She too was wearing a headset.

"Hey Abby!" Jenny waved as she stood in front of the TV.

"Hey Jenny!" Abby waved back.

"You ready to do this thing?" Abby asked.

"Bring it on!" Jenny yelled.

"Okay...what song?" Abby asked.

"Let's go for a level nine, it's been a good day." Jenny said as she inhaled deeply.

"How about a sexy samba?" Abby said as the other part of the screen showed what Abby was selecting.

"Fine by me." Jenny said as he planted her feet on the starting position of the mat.

The music blared through the surround sound speakers and Jenny stared at the large-screen TV that was mounted on her living room wall, she kept up with the moves as best she could, all while trying to watch Abby.

"Wow! That was intense!" Jenny said as she stepped off the mat, breathless once the song had ended.

"Our results will be up in seconds." Abby said as she reached for a bottle of water.

The screen lit up and Jenny jumped up and down and hugged Jethro when she was declared the champion of round one.

"Up next?" Abby asked as the doorbell rang.

"Hold that thought!" Kelly said as she stood up and rushed to the door.

Kelly opened the door slowly, and was shocked. For the first time in almost seventeen years she was standing face to face with her best friend Maddie Tyler. Without saying a word Maddie dropped her belongings and instantly hugged Kelly. A collective silence fell over the house as everybody realized what was taking place. Maddie was the final link to Kelly's restored past.

"I missed you." Kelly said as she held her friend tightly.

"I missed you." Maddie whispered as tears fell from her eyes.

Jenny leaned in and hugged Jethro as she watched the two young girls in the front hall reunite.

"Well...let's get back to the party!" Kelly finally said in a happy voice as she led Maddie into the living room.

"Everybody, this is Maddie. Maddie this is everybody." Kelly said with a laugh as she introduced her friend the quickest way she could think of.

"Hi Maddie." Jethro said with a wave.

"Hey Gibbs." Maddie smiled back at Jethro and then glanced at Jenny.

"What is she doing here?" Maddie said as she eyed Jenny cautiously.

"You know her?" Kelly asked quickly, trying to figure out how Jenny and Maddie knew one another.

"Yeah...she's your Dad's boss." Maddie said knowingly.

"Not anymore." Kelly said as Maddie spread out her sleeping bag.

"So she's your stepmom?" Maddie assumed quickly.

"Not yet." Kelly said with a grin as she shot her father a look.

"Well...why is she here?" Maddie pressed.

"How do you know her?" Kelly asked back.

"He never told you?" Maddie asked as she looked at Gibbs.

"Told me what?" Kelly said as she turned to her father and glared at him.

"Two years ago, I was going to college in DC. Your dad and DiNozzo saved my life." Maddie explained quickly.

"You know Tony too?" Kelly asked, satisfied with the quick explanation, knowing she'd get all the details later.

Maddie nodded.

"I'm sorry." Kelly whispered teasingly, and Jethro and Jenny both burst into laughter.

"Hey Maddie!" Abby yelled from the TV.

"Oh hey Abby!" Maddie said as she glanced at Abby.

"All right...let's dance to the death!" Maddie exclaimed as she stepped on the mat, challenging Abby to a dancing duel.

The night wore on with everybody taking turns dancing, and by the midnight Jenny was shocked when she was crowned grand champion.

"Hey Abby...aren't you three hours ahead of us?" Jethro asked as he glanced at his watch.

"Yep." Abby said as she guzzled a caf-pow.

"And isn't tomorrow Saturday?" Jethro asked quickly.

"Damn!" Abby said as her face fell, knowing exactly what that meant.

"You better get to bed." Jethro teased.

"I do have Ducky Dinner to mentally prepare for." Abby said as she waved good-bye and unplugged her headset and gaming console.

"What is a Ducky Dinner?" Kelly asked as she looked at her father.

"Dinner at Ducky's house of course, always good food, always entertaining. Mostly because of Mrs. Mallard, she means well but she has dementia. She's what some people would think of as a handful. Having the right mind set is the key to survival." Jethro explained.

"Matthew! Oh Matthew!" Jenny yelled in an accented voice.

Kelly looked at her father and Jenny in confusion.

"Mrs. Mallard calls me Matthew a lot." Jethro explained.

"And stares at your ass even more." Jenny added with a giggle.

"Okay...that's a little too much information." Kelly said as she covered her ears.

Jethro lay in bed, next to Jenny wide awake. The sounds of the sleep over were keeping him awake.

"Hey Jen?" Jethro asked quietly. If she was actually sleeping he didn't want to wake her up.

"Yeah honey?" Jenny asked.

"Why do they call it a sleep over if no sleep is involved?" Jethro questioned.

"That is what parents have been asking themselves since the beginning of time." Jenny said as she pulled her pillow over her face.

"It could be so much worse Jethro." Jenny added.

"How?" Jethro wondered.

"They could be teenagers...we'd be hearing shrieking all night long, I'll take drunk and rambling twenty-somethings over that any day." Jenny said knowingly, thinking back to all the sleep overs she had attended as a young girl.

"This is true." Jethro said as he silently thanked God that Kelly's friends were all older.

"I have a great idea!" Jenny said as she sat up in bed and reached for Jethro's cell phone.

"What?" Gibbs asked quickly as Jenny handed him the phone.

"Paybacks are a bitch." Jenny said with a wicked grin.

Jethro understood immediately, and he shuffled out the living room in his pajama pants and sweatshirt. Wordlessly, he handed Kelly his phone. Kelly stopped painting her fingernails and took the phone from her father.

"Have fun kid." Jethro said as he headed back to bed.

*****SATURDAY NIGHT, DUCKY'S HOUSE*****

"That's an Italian name!" Mrs. Mallard said as she opened the front door to let Tony in.

"Yep." Tony replied dryly. He was usually so well-mannered with Mrs. Mallard. Today though he cut the conversation short.

"Tony, would you mind?" Ducky urged as the team sat down at the dining room table.

Tony groaned, he was forced to take off his sunglasses.

"Tony, are you all right?" Ducky asked with concern when he saw the dark circles under Tony's eyes.

"Didn't sleep well last night. I kept getting prank calls...all night!" Tony exclaimed angrily.

"Did you inform the offender that you were a federal agent and that you would press charges?" Ducky asked.

"I did. That would be exactly when the calls to my cell stopped, and then the calls to my home phone began." Tony elaborated.

"Was it the same people?" McGee asked with a curious expression.

"Yeah." Tony said dryly.

"That's pretty bold...how could somebody just do that? I'd be so scared of getting in trouble with the law." Ziva said honestly.

"Welcome to America." Mrs. Mallard said from the far end of the table.

"Worst part of it all? I tried to trace all the numbers and they came back as unlisted. I can't even pull the area code." Tony said with a pained expression. He had literally gotten zero sleep last night, then he had been forced to work half a day and then go to dinner at Ducky's house.

"That's odd...you should be able to get some information even off of an unlisted number." McGee said as he bit his lower lip.

"Maybe it's an angry ex-girlfriend." Ziva said quietly. Tony responded by glaring at her.

"Hey McTechno...if I give you my phone could you figure this out?" Tony asked hopeful that he could track down the source of the annoying calls.

"I sure could. Make sure you have your phone Monday morning." McGee said with a smile.

"Ducky, if you don't mind, I'm going to head out. Thanks for the chow." Tony said as he stood up and excused himself.

"You're not even going to stay for dessert?" Ducky asked with a surprised look on his face. Tony always stayed for dessert.

"Sorry. Long day, long night." Tony said as he headed out the front door.

As soon as the team knew Tony was gone they all looked at one another and laughed.

"That should fix him for a good long while." Abby said as she held back laughter.

"For every prank, for every stupid nickname." McGee added.

"For everything he's ever messed with in the lab." Ducky said with a chuckle.

"For every one night stand." Mrs. Mallard chimed in.

"Well then...who wants dessert?" Ducky said as he stood up from the table clearly embarrassed by his mother's words.

Everybody raised their hands and smiled.

*****BACK IN CALIFORNIA*****

Jethro flipped through the call log menu on his phone.

"Seventy three placed calls. I'm proud of you kid." Jethro said as he tousled Kelly's hair.

"We're proud of you." Jenny corrected as they all sat down on the couch to watch a movie.

"Thanks." Kelly said with a grin.


	10. The End

**Author's Note**: Thanks for all the great reviews! Please enjoy the ending!

"I can't believe I'm actually going to admit this…" Jethro said uneasily as he slid into the passenger's seat of Kelly's car.

"What? That you're in love?" Kelly said with a smirk as she started the car.

"No. I'm nervous. I think I might actually vomit if I think about this much longer." Jethro admitted.

"Dad…you can't be serious." Kelly mused.

"Oh but I am." Jethro said honestly.

"You've had some practice…how can you be nervous. There's only two outcomes." Kelly tried hard to reassure her father.

"She's said no once before." Jethro whispered.

"She won't make the same mistake twice. I promise." Kelly said as she eyed her father.

"She's talked to you about this?" Jethro asked with a raised eyebrow. Usually Jenny kept her feelings to herself, especially about such personal matters.

"Not specifically, but trust me dad, she won't say no." Kelly said as they sped towards Jenny's house.

"I hope so." Jethro said as he nervously fumbled with the small blue-velvet box in his hands.

"Kelly…I guess I've never really asked you. How do you feel about all of this? I mean be honest. What do you think?" Jethro pressed his daughter for an answer.

"Where do I begin?" Kelly said as she stopped at red light and bit her lower lip.

"Dad…if it's me you're worried about, don't be. Jenny is teriffic. I wish you two could see your relationship from the outside looking in. The both of you belong together. If it's any consolation I think Jenny is a better woman than the other three put together." Kelly said as she pulled up in front of Jenny's house.

"Thanks kid." Jethro said simply as he kissed Kelly on the cheek and got out of the car.

Jethro entered the house quietly, and a sense of peace he hadn't felt in the past few days fell over him. Kelly was right. Jenny was different, this was different. Jenny wasn't a Diane, or a Ginger, or Stephanie Or Hollis, she was Jenny, and he loved her for it.

"Hey honey!" Jenny said as she emerged from the living room into the front hall.

"Hey Jenny!" Jethro said with mock surprise as he slid the box into his pocket.

"I missed you." Jenny said with a pouty look as she leaned in and kissed Jethro.

"Wow…all that and I was only gone for two hours!" Jethro said happily when Jenny finished kissing him.

"Yeah, go away for a night and see what happens when you return." Jenny winked as she headed towards the kitchen, with Jethro following her closely.

"I remember, if it's anything like that night we got split up in Rome…" Jethro trailed off as Jenny turned around sharply, her cheeks already bright red with an embarassed blush.

"I was so happy to see you! To know you were safe, and uninjured." Jenny remembered.

"I felt the same way." Jethro said as he wrapped Jenny in a tight hug.

"Very happy." Jenny said as she snuggled up to Jethro.

"Mmm…I love your perfume." Jethro said as he inhaled the familiar scent of orchids and vanilla.

"Thanks." Jenny said quietly.

"So I was thinking…a quiet dinner here? Just the two of us?" Jethro said as he looked into Jenny's sparkling green eyes.

"Sure." Jenny replied.

"I know I promised you a nice dinner on the town, but I thought I'd try my hand at steak au poivre." Jethro said as he made his way to the fridge and began pulling out steaks and the other ingredients necessary for the meal.

"Sounds lovely…I think I'm going to take a nap while you get dinner ready." Jenny explained.

"Tired today?" Jethro asked nervously. Jenny had been making huge strides with her treatments, but she was often tired, and the new medicine she was taking seemed to wipe her out by early evening.

"Yeah." Jenny said simply as she headed to the bedroom.

Jethro sighed with relief as he heard the bedroom door close. He loved spending time with Jenny, but tonight he was worried she'd pick up on his nervous energy.

Two hours later Jethro had set the dining room table with the best china Jenny had, a bottle of champagne was uncorked and distributed between two crystal champagne flutes. The steak was just about done, as was the asparagus.

"Perfection." Jethro said under his breath as he removed the steak and placed it on a serving platter alongside the asparagus.

"Jenny…honey..wake up." Jethro shook Jenny's shoulder gently and whispered her name.

"Mmph!" Jenny muttered as she pulled a pillow over her head. Jethro knew she was exhausted, and she could have probably slept through the night, but she needed to eat at some point.

"Dinner is ready." Jethro whispered as he offered his hand to Jenny and helped her out of bed.

"Thanks." Jenny said with a yawn as Jethro led her to the dining room.

"It's so pretty!" Jenny exclaimed as she clapped her hands in delight.

Jethro dimmed the lights of the chandalier and sat down next to Jenny.

"Dig in." Jethro said proudly as he handed the platter to Jenny.

"That was amazing." Jenny complimented as she helped Jethro clean up the kitchen.

"Thanks." Jethro said simply. He had managed to quell his nerves during dinner, but as the moment drew closer his anxiety was getting harder to control.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jenny asked nervously as she bit her lower lip.

"I'm fine." Jethro grunted in his typical fashion.

"Let's go outside…sit under the stars…get some fresh air." Jethro said as he grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the couch.

"Sounds good to me." Jenny said as she followed Jethro onto the back patio.

They sat on the cobblestone, huddled under the blanket, Jenny's head resting on Jethro's shoulder.

"Jenny?" Jethro asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah?" Jenny replied.

"I was wondering…" Jethro stopped short, a shooting star was flying across the sky.

"Make a wish!" Jenny shouted happily.

Jenny and Jethro both closed their eyes and silently made their wishes.

"What did you wish for?" Jethro asked as Jenny opened her eyes.

"I can't tell you, it won't come true." Jenny said with a giggle.

"What did you wish for?" Jenny retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"For you to say yes…" Jethro said as he got on one knee and handed Jenny the small blue box.

"Jenny…will you marry me?" Jethro said as his voice shook.

Jenny looked up at Jethro with tears in her eyes. Her hand was shaking as she took the box out of Jethro's hand. She opened the box slowly, and the emerald cut solitare diamond sparkled under the night sky.

"Yes." Jenny finally said as she looked into Jethro's eyes.

Jethro smiled, and exhaled with relief. He slipped the beautiful ring on Jenny's finger and kissed her with all the passion he felt.

"Jethro…" Jenny whispered as she laced her fingers with his, and rolled over in the big bed they shared.

"Yeah?" Jethro said absentmindedly, still in a daze from the passionate encounter he and Jenny had just shared.

"My wish came true." Jenny whispered back as she leaned up and kissed Jethro's cheek gently.

**THE END**


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